The next time the Detroit Pistons will field a team is August 8, when the Las Vegas Summer League begins.
Last season, the popular summer league, in which all 30 NBA teams have an entry, was cancelled due to the pandemic. However, the NBA announced it will return this season, from August 8-17.
While no other official details are known, it is at least a positive sign that the NBA is starting to return to a normal schedule.
The Summer League should be an exciting event for Pistons fans, as it will be the first time they can get a look at their first round draft pick (whoever it is), in a Detroit uniform.
The Pistons will find out where they draft on June 22 at the NBA draft lottery. They can do no worse the sixth and have a 14% percent of getting No. 1 overall.
If Detroit does get to pick first, you can believe the TV ratings will be massive around the Motor City if Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham in playing for the Pistons in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Summer League is back and that is good for the Detroit Pistons
The lack of a summer league last season undoubtedly hurt the Pistons rookies development. None of the them did well in the early part of the season, and coach Dwane Casey barely played them at the start.
Eventually, they all did well, but they may have been able to contribute earlier, if they had played in summer league together.
The last time Detroit was in Las Vegas, first round pick Sekou Doumbouya had to miss it with a hamstring problem. The star of the 2019 Summer Pistons was Bruce Brown Jr., who did become a part-time starter at guard when the regular season started.
Assuming things will be pretty much the same as in the past, games will be played at Cox Pavilion and the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
There were fans allowed to be in attendance previously, if spectators will be allowed this year has not been announced. You know, if Cunningham or Evan Mobley are on the Pistons team, plenty of fans will decide mid-August is the perfect time to take a vacation to Las Vegas. (Warning, it’s really hot).
So who is going to be on the Detroit Pistons summer league roster?
That is a good question, general manager Troy Weaver and coach Dwane Casey are probably trying to figure it out.
It would probably be easier to figure who won’t be on it. Veterans like Mason Plumlee, Jerami Grant, Cory Joseph and Jahlil Okafor would not be there.
The Summer League is usually for rookies, inexperienced second-year players and those from the G-League or foreign leagues trying to hook up with an NBA team.
"“We don’t have the final details on Summer League, but those guys will be ready,” Weaver said the day after the season ended, according to NBA.com. “What does summer look like for the Detroit Pistons? It’s going to be a lot of blood, sweat and tears. We’ve got to go to work. They’re going to be here working. If they’re going to have a Pistons uniform on, they’re going to work this summer.”"
The Pistons rookies will definitely be working hard in Detroit to improve their game is a given, but that does not necessarily mean they will play summer league. WIth desperate players trying to draw attention to themselves, injuries could happen.
Does Detroit sending potential starters like Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey gain anything going against a bunch of kids and NBA wanna-be’s?
Maybe they feel the added playing time can only help them. And they did miss last year going to summer league. We will see.
Young players who showed promise last year, like Saben Lee and Deividis Sirvydas will definitely be in Las Vegas playing for the Pistons. The experience will only help them. And any draft pick or undrafted free agent the Pistons sign, are also locks to be there.
The exact summer league roster for the Pistons probably will most likely not be known for a couple weeks before Vegas starts.
But with a team as young as Detroit, the fact the NBA is headed back to Vegas for summer league can only be a positive.